# 便當
## Chinese
### Etymology 1
#### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): biàndang
    (Zhuyin): ㄅㄧㄢˋ ˙ㄉㄤ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): bin$^6$ dong$^3$
* Wu (Northern, Wugniu): $^6$bi-taon$_5$ / $^2$bie$_6$-taon$_5$ / $^6$bie-taon$_5$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: biàndang
*** Zhuyin: ㄅㄧㄢˋ ˙ㄉㄤ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: biàndång
*** Wade–Giles: pien$^4$-tang$^5$
*** Yale: byàn-dang
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: biann.dang
*** Palladius: бяньдан (bjanʹdan)
*** Sinological IPA : /pi̯ɛn⁵¹ d̥ɑŋ¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: bin$^6$ dong$^3$
*** Yale: bihn dong
*** Cantonese Pinyin: bin$^6$ dong$^3$
*** Guangdong Romanization: bin$^6$ dong$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /piːn²² tɔːŋ³³/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^6$bi-taon$_5$
*** MiniDict: bi$^去$ taon$^去$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^3$bi-taan$_2$
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /bi²² tɑ̃⁴⁴/
** (Northern: Suzhou)
*** Wugniu: $^2$bie$_6$-taon$_5$
*** MiniDict: bie$^去$ taon$^去$
*** Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /bɪ²² tɑ̃³³/
** (Northern: Jiaxing)
*** Wugniu: $^6$bie-taon$_5$
*** MiniDict: bie$^去$ taon$^去$
*** Sinological IPA (Jiaxing): /bie¹³ tɑ̃²¹/

#### Adjective

便當
* (regional) convenient; easy
    From: 1907 CE, Liu E, The Travels of Lao Can
    Xìngxǐ běnrì guā de shì běifēng, suǒyǐ xiàngdōng xiàngxī dōu shì pángfēng, shǐ fān hěn biàndāng de. [Pinyin]
    Luckily there was a north wind, so whether they went east or west they had the wind at their side to facilitate sailing.
    From: 1925 April 29, Lu Xun, Jottings under the Lamplight《燈下漫筆》, translation based on Theodore Huters’s version
    Yǒu yīshí, jiùshì Mínguó èr sān nián shíhòu, Běijīng de jǐge guójiāyínxíng de chāopiào, xìnyòng rì jiàn qí hǎo le, zhēn suǒwèi zhēngzhēngrìshàng. Tīngshuō lián yīxiàng zhímí yú xiànyín de xiāngxiàrén, yě zhīdào zhè jì biàndāng, yòu kěkào, hěn lèyì shōushòu, xíngshǐ le. [Pinyin]
    There was a time in 1913 or 1914 when the credit-worthiness of the banknotes of a number of national banks in Beijing was growing day by day; it can truly be said to have been soaring by the day. I’ve heard that even country folk who had always been obsessed with silver realized that banknotes were not only convenient but reliable and were thus quite happy to accept them and keep them in circulation.

##### Synonyms

* (convenient):
* 便利 (biànlì)
* 便宜 (biànyí)
* 便易 (bīng-ĭ) (Northern Min)
* 便民 (biànmín) (attributive, of a shop, service, etc.)
* 利便 (lìbiàn) (literary or Hakka, Eastern Min, Southern Min, Puxian Min)
* 就手 (zau$^6$ sau$^2$) (Cantonese)
* 快便 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
* 方便 (fāngbiàn)
* 省事 (shěngshì)
* 簡便 / 简便 (jiǎnbiàn)
* 順手 / 顺手 (shùnshǒu)

#### Conjunction

便當
* even if

##### Synonyms

* 即便 (jíbiàn)
* 就算 (jiùsuàn)

##### Descendants

* → Japanese: 弁当(べんとう) (bentō)

### Etymology 2

Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 弁当(べんとう) (bentō), which was in turn a semantic readaptation of Chinese 便當 / 便当 (biàndang, “convenient”).

#### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): biàndāng
    (Zhuyin): ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄉㄤ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): bin$^6$ dong$^3$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): phien-tông
    (Hailu, HRS): pien$^˖$ dong$^ˋ$
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): piān-tong
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^6$bi-taon$_5$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: biàndāng
*** Zhuyin: ㄅㄧㄢˋ ㄉㄤ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: biàndang
*** Wade–Giles: pien$^4$-tang$^1$
*** Yale: byàn-dāng
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bianndang
*** Palladius: бяньдан (bjanʹdan)
*** Sinological IPA : /pi̯ɛn⁵¹ tɑŋ⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: bin$^6$ dong$^3$
*** Yale: bihn dong
*** Cantonese Pinyin: bin$^6$ dong$^3$
*** Guangdong Romanization: bin$^6$ dong$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /piːn²² tɔːŋ³³/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: phien-tông
*** Hakka Romanization System: pien dong$^ˊ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: pian$^4$ dong$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /pʰi̯en⁵⁵ toŋ²⁴/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: pien$^˖$ dong$^ˋ$
*** Sinological IPA: /pʰien³³ toŋ⁵³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: piān-tong
*** Tâi-lô: piān-tong
*** Phofsit Daibuun: piexndofng
*** IPA (Xiamen): /piɛn²²⁻²¹ tɔŋ⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /piɛn⁴¹⁻²² tɔŋ³³/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /piɛn²²⁻²¹ tɔŋ⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Taipei): /piɛn³³⁻¹¹ tɔŋ⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /piɛn³³⁻²¹ tɔŋ⁴⁴/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^6$bi-taon$_5$
*** MiniDict: bi$^去$ taon$^去$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^3$bi-taan$_2$
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /bi²² tɑ̃⁴⁴/

#### Noun

便當
* (originally Taiwanese Mandarin) bento; lunchbox

##### Synonyms

| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 盒飯 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 便當, 飯盒 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 飯盒, 便當 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 盒飯 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Guilin | 盒飯 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 飯盒 |
| Cantonese | Macau | 飯盒 |
| Cantonese | Dongguan | 盒飯, 盒仔飯 |
| Southern Min | Taipei | 便當盒仔, 便當 GT, 飯盒仔 GT |
| Southern Min | New Taipei (Sanxia) | 飯包 |
| Southern Min | Kaohsiung | 便當篋仔, 飯篋仔 |
| Southern Min | Yilan | 便當篋仔 |
| Southern Min | Taichung | 便當盒仔 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 盒仔, 飯篋仔 |
| Southern Min | Hsinchu | 便當盒仔 |
| Southern Min | Kinmen | 飯盒 |
| Southern Min | Penghu (Magong) | 飯盒 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 包飯 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 飯盒 |
| Note | GT - General Taiwanese (no specific region identified) | GT - General Taiwanese (no specific region identified) |
* (Hakka) 飯篼仔／饭篼仔

##### Derived terms

* 御便當 / 御便当 (yùbiàndāng)
* 火車便當 / 火车便当 (huǒchē biàndāng)
* 鐵路便當 / 铁路便当
* 領便當 / 领便当 (lǐng biàndāng)

#### Verb

便當
* (slang) Synonym of 領便當 / 领便当 (lǐng biàndāng)